Camp Luna

        —Camp Luna—

  —Chapter one—

Dreams are a silly thing.

They waste your time and make you believe none-true things.

But yet, I had one.

My name is Leia Trusten. I live in London and I, like I just stated, am against this silly, useless idea of dreaming. Any kind, really. Daydreaming and hoping to get somewhere in life when you know you can’t really. It just separates you from reality and your loved ones.

But I did it.

I achieved my goal, yes, but not in the way I expected. If you agree with me, read on, my friend. Read on.

The day started out normal enough, get up, clean teeth, go to school. It was just the same normal, drizzly day in London. My mum and dad smothering me with love, etcetera. When I finally broke free from them, I hopped on the bus and headed to school. That is when sirens started blaring.

“EVERYONE OFF!!” Someone yelled, most likely a bobbie. “We need Leia Rosame Trusten, nobody else.” He said as soon as everybody was off. 

“I-I’m here.” I said nervously. “What do you need?” Even though I’d been scared, I still needed to be polite. Since politeness is key.

“Come with us.” The bobbie replied, heading off toward a huge building to which I didn’t know the name of. This was nerve-racking. Being taken somewhere by someone I barely knew. Just imagine being taken somewhere by a bobbie when you’re just trying to live your life like a normal 12th year girl in the UK.

Except things like that don’t happen in the real world, do they?

“Where are you taking me?!” I said to the bobbie. “I require the information.”

“You don’t need to know anything, sunshine.” He said in the same flat monotone voice he’d been speaking in.

For a moment I thought about elbowing him in the groyne then running away, but that would be rude, and I’m an obedient girl.

“Please tell me, sir.” I pleaded, “What about my parents?”

The bobbie grinned, “They already know you’re going. They signed you up.”

“Signed me up for what?”

“Camp Luna.”

      *~-~-~-~-~-~*

The last thing I remember before being put to sleep for the journey was three other kids perhaps my age and being poked with a needle. 

I slept a dreamless, restless sleep.

I woke up what seemed like hours later in a small room. There were grey walls and four beds, two bunk-beds with one bed on bottom and top. The covers were steel-coloured and were very silky, perhaps made of an expensive material. There was a boy sitting on the top bunk of the bed on the other side of the room. He was studying his left arm, which was a prosthetic. 

He was one of the teens I’d seen earlier.

The boy must’ve felt me staring at him, since he looked up and smiled. He had blonde hair and blue eyes. He looked friendly enough, but looks can be deceiving.

“Hi. I’m Finnley, you will call me Finn.” He said, “You’re that girl they stole from the UK earlier, right?”

It took me a second to process Finn’s words, partly due to his rough speaking, also to his heavy American accent.

“Uhhh… yes?” I said, confused. “My name is Leia, or Lei, if you’re too lazy to say my full name.”

“Hmm. That’s cool. Why are you here?” Finn looked a tad disinterested in me, but still attempted conversation. “Normally this is just for delinquents or troublemakers like me.”

I raised an eyebrow, “You’re a delinquent?” There was no way I’d work with/help a criminal.

He folded his arms across his chest, “I said I’m a troublemaker. Camille, though…”

The door to the room slid open and I jumped. Inside stormed an angry girl. She had dark hair and skin, and she wore a pretty knee-length blue dress and tall black boots. She was dressed for a party or something, unlike me, with my brown tights and white shirt. Or Finn, wearing a short-sleeved shirt and denim pants.

This must be Camille, a spoiled rich girl used to getting her way.

She sat down on the bunk below me and muttered some rude things about the workers wherever we were.  

“Hello?” I said and leaned over the edge of the bed, “My names Leia, are you Camille?”

“Yes I’m Camille. What do you think, am I Zach? No. I’m Camille Lusicane, a member of the near-richest family in all of Spain!” She grunted. “But now I’m who knows where with a mum French, a gawky Britain, and an ignorant American who's missing an arm!” She laid down on the bed face first, “Lord help me.”

Finn leapt off the bunk and landed roughly on his bum. “First, ow. Second, it’s not my fault I lost my arm. Third, Zach and Leia are actually nice people.”

Me, a nice person? In what universe? I was normally called a dark pessimist who chills by myself in the corner of the lunch room.

I climbed down the bunk ladder carefully and landed gently on my feet. “Camille, why are you being rude?” 

Camille just glared at me and Finn, who was staring at the door as if waiting for someone to come through.

“She’s just used to getting what she wants when she wants.” He said, not taking his eyes off the door. Who was he waiting for?

Then, someone walked through the door, his eyes on the ground. He had black hair, pale skin, and large glasses. That must’ve been Zach, the French boy Finn was waiting for.

He looked up and saw us staring at him. Zach frowned, “What’d I do this time?”

“Everything.” Camille said sarcastically.

“Nothing, Camille’s just being a jerk.” Finn said, reaching out his prosthetic hand, “I’m Finn, this is Camille-” He pointed at the fuming girl, “-and Leia. We’re your roommates.”

“Perfect, just perfect. I gotta spend who knows how long on who knows where with these lunatics.” Camille grunted.

I shoved her a bit, “Be nice.”

We just sat there for a bit in silence, until a loudspeaker blared, “Attention campers! Please proceed to the mess hall! Please proceed to the mess hall! Thank you!” 

“What was that?” I said, breaking the confused silence.

“I don’t know, but how hard can it be to find the mess hall?” Finn said, grabbing his jacket. “C’mon!”

Zach, Finn, Camille, and me walked out the door quietly, following the two other cabin groups, each with four teens in them. We followed them to a large room where there were three small tables, big enough for four people each. There were large numbers on each of these tables, as well. A three on the closest to the door, then a two, finally a one on the table closest to what seemed to be a giant stage. As soon as we entered the room, I felt a tingling sensation throughout my body. I looked down in surprise, my clothes had changed! Instead of the outfit I’d been wearing before, I was now equipped with a one-pieced, grey, sleeveless suit. I looked around and found that everyone’s attires had changed, as well. Camille’s, Zach’s, Finn’s, and mine had a large one on the chest below a flag representing the country we came from.

“Campers!” Said a loud voice. A stout man had climbed up onto the stage and spoke into the microphone. “My name is Jac Turner. You will address me as Captain or Captain Turner. Please take a seat at the table with your number on it.” Me and the rest of group one did as asked.

“Now, I have a few things you need to know.” Captain Turner said, “First, those suits you’re wearing are just a uniform. There are certain rooms that entering will equip them unto you. Second, this is ‘Camp Space-out’ you are on, none other than, the moon!” He clicked a button on the remote he was holding and the dome’s roof became transparent, allowing us to see the stars above.

“Holy-” Finn whispered to himself. “That’s… unbelievable.”

“I know, right?!” Turner grinned, “Now, thirdly, introductions. First, group one!” A spotlight blared on us from above, “Come join me on the stage!”

“Leia Trusten of London, England!” I stood up and walked ever so slowly to the stage, “Would you like to say something about yourself?” I shake my head. No, that would be embarrassing, messing up like that in front of many people.

“Ok then. Finnley Smith of Miami, Florida!” Finn glows bright red as a spotlight glows on him, glaring brightly off his prosthetic. “Come on up, don’t be scared! Say something about yourself!”

Finn walks up next to me, grumbling something about his name being ‘Finn’ not ‘Finnley’. “Hi, I’m Finn and I’m here because apparently I wasn’t good enough at home and I got sent here. I just wanna learn to be a pilot so I can leave. G’day.” He frowns at the people staring at him.

Oh.

He didn’t like the attention. 

Well, he would’ve.

“Camille Lusicane of Madrid, Spain! Go ahead and share something.” Camille looked flustered, but glad for the attention.

“I’m sure you all know me, and if you don’t, sucks for you. I’m senora Camille of Spain, member of the Lusicane family-second richest in all of Spain!” She went into this whole speech thing, which I didn’t listen to.

“Ok, Camille. That’s… wonderful. But we have to move on. Please stand next to Mr. Smith.” Captain Turner gestured to the spot next to Finn, and Camille looked disappointed, but she did as was told. “Now last for group one, Zachary Beioun of Dijon, France!”

Zach was even brighter red than Finn. He crept up, as if wishing that at that very moment he would cease to exist.

“Bonjour amis campeurs.” Zach said in a very quiet voice. That was all he said, nothing more, nothing less. He wasn’t used to having a spotlight blaring on him, or so many people staring at him.

None of us were.

—Chapter two—

When I was ten, there was a girl who I was friends with. She was older than me, yes, but we were very good friends. Fiadh had moved to the UK from Ireland with her uncle. Fiadh was a very pretty girl with blue eyes, orange hair, and many freckles. 

Even though she had to work sometimes to help her uncle and her at home, she always spent time with me.

I met her through tutoring. I hadn’t had the best grades at the time. So my mum and dad hired her to tutor me four days a week, one hour each day in exchange for extra pay. I didn’t like Fiadh at first, her name was weird and her English was rough. But she grew onto me.

When I was twelve, I went from primary school and went to secondary school, Fiadh had gotten a job promotion. She’d gotten a promotion at the University of Oxford. 

She and her uncle moved to Oxford, and I never saw my friend again.

Fiadh was the girl that told me to follow my dreams.

Thinking back on that, it sure sounds a lot like a silly cartoon character may say. 

Hence, why I think dreams are silly.

   *~-~-~-~-~-~*

Back in the present, not in the past, me and the rest of group one had been ordered to sit back down.

The other introductions went by quickly.

Group two, Briana, Ray, Leo, Gia.

Group three, Fil, Gemma, Alisa, Thomas.

I wasn’t listening. But instead staring at the ceiling, watching the stars drift by above me. It was peaceful here, in space. Unlike the noisy streets of London. Or the bustle of people always going in and out of buildings. Too much noise. Not enough silence.

“Now, you may feast!” Boomed Captain Turner. He climbed down from the stage and walked over to the door, leaving us in awed silence.

*~-Not Finished, done with this story for the year-~*